RECORD MIRROR for the fifth time running since 1979 has had a massive majority lead at the top of a poll conducted by Theo Loyla with 320 DJs to establish their music paper reading habits — RM polled 79 per cent, the next best (DI) only getting 45 per cent . . . The Band AKA II ‘Joy‘ will be remixed combining both vocal and instrumental sides for Streetwave release here — hurrah! . . . Morgan Khan’s latest ‘StreetSounds’ LP compilation, due this weekend, includes the recent hits by Gwen McCrea, Whodini, First Light, Sunfire, Montana Sextet, Melle Mel & Duke Bootee, Rocket & Nairobi — pity you bought ’em all already, huh?! . . . Arista has given America’s West End label its own logo identity here . . . Leonard Chin (featuring Alan Weeks on the dominant guitar) has been repressed with a new ‘Dance Mix ’83’ version as flip . . . Steve Arrington’s forthcoming LP will be on Atlantic, the Whispers overdue set should materialize in March now (strongly ballad orientated evidently, though with three dancers) . . . Maurice White has been producing Jennifer Holliday’s first proper solo LP for Geffen release soon . . . Patti Austin & James Ingram’s single is now on 3-track 12in . . . Ashford & Simpson have an hour long video spectacular through EMI Music Videos . . . Prince ‘1999’ maybe doesn’t mean that much in black clubs, but he does have a dynamite video of it on the current AB See compilation (Month 13), along with Eddy Grant, Central Line, Chic and Yarbrough & Peoples — if your club wants to subscribe to this monthly changing service call 01-734 9072 . . . Soul On Sound 012 has possibly the most satisfying soulful preview mix yet (I’m really a bit proud of this one!), all actually done with tape edits this time, comprising Peabo Bryson ‘We Don’t Have To Talk’/Instant Funk ‘Smack Dab’/Ellis Hall Jr ‘Every Little Bit’/Gail Grier/Lanier & Co ‘After I Cry’/Goodie ‘You & I’/Leonard Chin/Kadenza/SOS Band/Smokey Robinson ‘Touch The Sky’/Band AKA II/Forrest/Disco Connection ‘Rock Your Baby’/The Biz/Pure Energy/Jerry Knight ‘I’m Down For That’/Glenn Jones/Flowchart/David Joseph/Jazzy Dee/Maxine Singleton/George Howard ‘The Preacher’/Chic/The Joneses/Con Funk Shun/Ellis Hall Jr ‘Back It Up’ (intro only) — it cooks! . . . Froggy’s mum actually came up to him at his own wedding and — this is the honest truth — said “Isn’t it time you got them all dancing?”! . . . Froggy & Sue must have had their wedding cake on sale or return, as they still hadn’t cut it by the party’s end . . . Kurtis Blow dropped into Mayfair’s Gullivers on Friday along with his scratcher, Davy D, the two of them then taking over the decks for an incredible demonstration of rapping and scratching that had the packed club jumping and also Graham Gold & James Hamilton wishing they hadn’t given up their day jobs! . . . Davy D tips, regarding more orthodox ways of mixing, “Wait for the break before you mix — everybody’s expecting to hear that break” . . . Graham Gold came up with a killer mix: Toney Lee dub/Prince Charles ‘Jungle Stomp’/Bohannon ‘Let’s Start II Dance Again’, while I discovered while fitting in a request that Shalamar ‘Night To Remember’ varied up by a whopping c.7 per cent runs perfectly (if squeakily — but who cares about Shalamar?!) over Michael Jackson ‘Billie Jean’ . . . West Yorkshire Assn of DJs meets the first Sunday every month (so this Sunday presumably) at Huddersfield’s Ridings Squash Club in Queen Street, ring Gary Williamson on Elland 76063 for full membership details (open to any bona fide DJ anywhere in the UK) . . . North West DJ Assn plans its first disco exhibition, aimed at mobile operators, on Sunday 12th June in Stockport’s Belgrade Hotel — contact Paul King at 12 Leicester Avenue, Salford M7 0HA for full display details . . . Robert Blenman is now a radio plugger at PRT . . . Mike Shaft’s ‘TCOB North Of Watford’ mag seems to be admitting defeat before it begins by getting Ralph Tee of Groove Weekly fame to contribute a column about London happenings . . . ‘Last Night A DJ Saved My Life’ has been adopted by PRT into personalised jingles for many individual radio DJs — I must confess at my suggestion . . . Tongy & Jonesy kick off Fridays this week (4) at the Music Room in the Sheffield Arms, Sheffield Park, on the A275 near Uckfield . . . Pete Haigh, Frenchie & Colin Curtis start souling Fridays at Blackpool Central Promenade’s Barons, too . . . The Biz PA with Steve Walsh on Saturday (5) at Leysdown’s Stage 3 . . . Phyllis Hyman, Dionne Warwick and now Gladys Knight & The Pips, ‘Live From Her Majesty’s’ — who’s on this week, Aretha Franklin? . . . Billy Fury was a pioneer admirer in the UK of uptown US soul, covering in the very early ’60s material by Gladys Knight, Jerry Butler and more . . . Don Costa also died recently — best known maybe for producing the same songs with both Paul Anka and then several generations later with Donny Osmond, his own DCP label in the mid-’60s was home for Little Anthony & The Imperials . . . I can only assume that old allegiances die hard, as what else explains Level 42’s current success in the black ‘soul’ disco chart with an out-and-out pop song which wouldn’t disgrace the likes of ABC? . . . DUB TIME!

HOT VINYL

MAHOGANY: ‘Ride On The Rhythm’ (West End ARIST 12517, via Arista).
Excellent truly solid slinkily socking 109-108½-108-109-108bpm 12in thudder grooves mightily with wailing Bernice Watkins weaving through great searing sax and simple little licks, all permeated by the very essence of bluesy funk. One of the monster sounds of the moment, not to be missed.

DAVID JOSEPH: ‘You Can’t Hide Your Love’ (Island 12IS 101).
Not due officially in the shops for over a week but already busted wide open by judiciously circulated very limited advance white label pressings, the former lead singer with Hi Tension rides effortlessly complete with some pretty staccato scatting amongst his vocal variety over a shuffling jittery 117bpm 12in complex time signature (great out of the Trammps), the acappella-introed instrumental flip being 118bpm. Ideal for the hard core crowd though otherwise not that widely commercial, I fear.

ELLIS HALL JR: ‘Every Little Bit Hurts’ (US HCRC HCS 10100).
Simply superb 0-32/64-32bpm 12in smoocher, straightened out from the 1964 Brenda Holloway original‘s waltz tempo, given a potentially classic soul performance drenched in organ-toned bluesiness reminiscent of such as ‘When A Man Loves A Woman’, Ellis then starting the jolting sparse 119bpm ‘Back It Up (Try It Again)‘ flip with a stunning burst of jazzy scat before spicing it with further vocal dexterity. A great double-sider, a name to watch.

MAXINE SINGLETON: ‘You Can’t Run From Love’ (US Connection TAS-2804 E).
Hard to choose between the ‘Club Mix’ and ‘Extended Mix‘ of this expertly crafted chugging 120bpm 12in disco smacker which does all the right things in all the right ways and will obviously do very well, probably even cross over, but its impressive professionalism is possibly all just too “pat” — though there’s certainly more life in it than in anything Kashif & Co ever touched.

CLASS ACTION Featuring CHRIS WILTSHIRE: ‘Weekend’ (US Sleeping Bag Records SLX-1).
Rather good exciting Gwen McCrae-ish ever changing new fast seeming though only 122bpm revival of the Patrick Adams disco oldie on 4-track 12in, the Sergio Munzibai & John Morales-mixed ‘Weekday Side’ being most soulful while the Larry Levan-mixed ‘Weekend Side‘ is more gaily frenetic and obviously exciting, there also being dub and acappella versions.

LUTHER VANDROSS: ‘Never Too Much’ (Epic A13-3101).
Newly extended re-release of his lovely deceptively tempoed lazily slinking old 109bpm swayer, now with Billy Griffin-ish appeal, on 3-track 12in with his current Temptations reviving 0-37/64bpm ‘Since I Lost My Baby’ and 0-16/31bpm ‘Forever, For Always, For Love’.

WUF TICKET: ‘Ya Mama’ (US Prelude PRL D644).
Out for a while and now a black smash in the States, this ‘Outstanding’-tempoed slinkily rolling organ backed 98½bpm 12in rapper builds up an atmospheric lazy groove as the stereo chaps trade insults about their respective mamas (and your mother, too!) before agreeing to agree that everyone’s mama is “number one” — and then getting on with yet more personal insults!

THE BIZ: ‘Falling’ (Midas 002, via 01-935 3987).
Now re-pressed on 4-track 12in in as many different mixes, the lurcher by a two gal/one guy British answer to Shalamar never emulates the slickness of Shalamar’s product but lead singer Austin Howard’s worried whinny is distinctively soulful and the girls look great, the straight ‘Vocal’ being 113-112½bpm and ‘Dub Mix‘ 110bpm, while the new ‘Crash-Beat Remix Part 1‘ is 118½-118bpm and ‘Part 2’ (possibly the best bet, 118bpm. You’ll find the 113-112bpm ‘Instrumental’ only on the original 3-track pressing.

THE SYSTEM. ‘You Are In My System’ (LP ‘Sweat’ US Mirage 7 90062-1).
The two man, one black/one white, “new dance” team are actually most effective on the dead simple repetitive stark Prince-ish 117bpm title track (which I bought the set for), although initially the noise makers have been this also 12in-issued (0-99938) slightly dull monotonous synth jiggled 109bpm bumbler and the older Rick James-ish 117½bpm ‘It’s Passion‘, this combination of “pure funk” and the European electronics tilting more towards the latter on side two, which starts with the quite soulfully spurting 117½bpm ‘Stand Up And Cheer‘, to culminate in the frantic 150bpm ‘Now I Am Electric‘. Incidentally, black Mic Murphy must have difficulty with his zip, to judge from the scars on his chest!

FLOWCHART: ‘Ask The Boss’ (Italian Maximus MO 024).
From an Italian production team (who seem to call themselves the New Harlem Funk) and reminiscent of the similarly originated Change in that the lead singer is very Vandross in style, this rather good 116bpm 12in jiggly tripper has chix chirruping “I’ll ask the boss to raise my salary” and the more flowing soulful fellah telling a topical tale of today’s hard times before stark Chic-ish bass breaks and nice jazzy sax, the bass-ier instrumental B-side remix being 113bpm.

AURAL EXCITERS: ‘Chinese Rap’ (US Top Flight TOP-002).
Satirizing Skyy’s ‘Call Me‘, this sparsely bounding simple little 120¼bpm 12in loper (instrumental flip) has a great amusingly accented female rap, reminiscent of ‘Telephone Man’, in which she calls up a Chinese takeaway — ‘cos she has this thing about the guy who answers! Good fun.

SKYY: ‘Let Love Shine’ (US Salsoul SG 389).
A new Shep Pettibone remixed bounding 120-121bpm 12in improvement on the track which came out here via Streetwave (and which I never previously considered playing), with a possibly even more interesting much rearranged instrumental flip.

FUTURA: ‘Feelin’ Hot’ (Graffiti 12GRAFT 1, via Rialto).
Bohannon-ish loosely structured 116(start)-117-118-119-120bpm 12in jitterer with good ingredients including wailing chick and bursts of sax, though this honking and growling excellent sax really comes to the fore on the far tighter smacking 118bpm instrumental flip, which is much easier to use and the side getting most plays.

BILLY GRIFFIN: ‘Be With Me’ LP (CBS 85591).
In the issue of 12th June 1982 my second lead import review (after the KISS Mastermixes set) read “Very much what I’d call a ‘Greg Edwards’ type of Philly style soul set (bet he likes the 125bpm title track!), the light voiced guy really cutting through on this beautiful solidly pushing but delicate pulsating 51(intro)-103bpm jogger, just made for hot sweaty summer nights. Hear it!” That of course referred to ‘Hold Me Tighter In The Rain‘, and indeed, a bit late for summer, everyone eventually did hear it — while the only other cut to get dance reaction was that soulfully galloping title track, which had strong revivalist support for ages and could now well be the follow-up.

THRUST: ‘Can’t Wait To Get To You’ (US Apexton AP-115-RE1).
Starting and ending with fantastic stereo honking train effects (along with various other useful tape spiralling effects and bonus beats on the flip), this staccato sung snappy 127bpm 12in electrophonic jerker has familiar melody lines and fits the Soul Sonic Patrol orbiter slot even if its vocals aren’t that phunky — instrumental and radio versions completing the package.

C-BANK: ‘One More Shot’ (Bronze — Next Plateau BROX 163).
John Robie produced flutter flanging, scratching and shooting gallery effects make an exceptionally exciting intro but then the chick wailed jittery 118bpm 12in electronic rhythm becomes too cerebral to be compulsively danceable — although oddly the less vocal ‘One More Time‘ instrumental flip, lacking the intro, could work in ‘Beat The Street’-ish style.

CLOUD: ‘Steppin’ Out (With You)’ (Rygel RYG 7, via 0793-46868).
Swindon’s Brit-funkers return on 3-track 12in with a girl called Shelley cooing over this dated 121-119-121-110-121-110-lull-119-124-123bpm jittery shuffler, climaxing in a beefier synth based instrumental section which is then expanded and enlivened on the better 125-124bpm flip as ‘Steppin’ Out Jam‘, both tracks however seeming rooted still in the Atmosfear era of late ’79 — but back on side one there’s also a perfectly respectable 124-125-126-125-126-124bpm jazz instrumental celled ‘Rico Rico’ which is the best thing on this particular bit of plastic.

MIDNITE: ‘Paradise Drive’ (Tivoli TIVT 1).
From Bury St Edmunds and so well used to playing US Air Force Bases, the guys get a good simple synth, keyboards and guitar sounds on this easy paced chunkily thudding metronomically ticking 112bpm 12in swayer featuring soulful guest vocals by Shakatak’s Jill Seward. They’re booked through Steve Allan’s Windmill Agency in Peterborough (0732 69589) and hope to work outside East Anglia soon — hint hint!

TAVARES: ‘Got To Find My Way Back To You’ (US RCA PD-13434).
Pleasant unspectacular but satisfying 114bpm 12in soul vocal group roller with some simple Evelyn King-ish synth breaking between the classy harmonies, flipped by the doodlingly introed nice slow 75bpm ‘I Hope You’ll Be Very Unhappy Without Me‘ (great title) which has some wonderful harmonica.

CAPTAIN SKY: ‘Don’t Touch That Dial’ (Philly World PWSL 107).
Puzzlingly late UK release for a good but never that hot “dial tuning” introed catchy chix chanted and chap sung sparse 115-116-117bpm smacker, which went well with ‘Loopzilla’. On 3-track 12in with a nice smoochy 0-48-49-0bpm revival of Bloodstone’s ‘Natural High‘ (a better radio plugside) and a boring 108-107-109-110-109½bpm retread of Buddy Miles’s ‘Them Changes‘.

McFADDEN & WHITEHEAD: ‘Everything I Do’ (LP ‘Movin’ On’ US Capitol ST-12251).
Disappointingly dreary label debut by the one-hit wonders, this 100-99bpm jogger possibly being best of a cliched set which includes the 12in issued flop 117bpm ‘One More Time’, 114bpm ‘Riding On The Crest’, 115bpm ‘The Best Of Me’ and 113½bpm title track.

JOE FREEMAN: ‘Sneakin’ (No Respect)’ (Canadian Musicworks MWE 1201).
Time hallowed “spooky” bass line prodded 118-120-118-120-118-120-119-120bpm 12in jitterer best for mixers in its Ray Parker-ish instrumental version, which still includes the less together vocal’s short fast-talk rap near the start.

Related

What a week – five of my all-time favourite tunes from this era are reviewed (David Joseph, Class Action, The System, C-Bank, Afrika Bambaataa), and yet none of them are raved over, and some of the write-ups are decidedly lukewarm. At this stage, I was getting good at sifting through the column for records which might not have been James’s favourites, but which I could tell would be my sort of thing.

It’s also interesting to discover the belatedly released Tom Moulton remixes of The Carstairs’ seminal Northern Soul classic, said to be his first ever remix.

James was brilliant in so many respects, but he was quite inconsistent in his hit-spotting abilities. David Joseph was a massive crossover hit – just like Gwen Guthrie’s ‘Ain’t Nothin’ Going’ On But The Rent, yet JH didn’t think it had hit potential.